Elmwood council considering TIF extension

By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post

ELMWOOD – The City Council is starting the process of deciding whether to extend its Downtown TIF agreement, which expires in 2023.

At last Thursday’s council meeting, Alderman Bob Paige confirmed there was a meeting with some taxing bodies set for today, Feb. 10, at 8:30 a.m. to discuss extending the TIF. Expected at the meeting were Elmwood Schools Superintendent Chad Wagner and Elmwood Township Supervisor Connie Davis.

The council also discussed funding for the Elmwood Municipal Band, which this summer will be under the direction of Luke Pratt, who is band director at the school.

Last year the city donated $5,000 to the band from its Public Benefit fund. After discussing how much to donate this year, it was suggested that – before setting a donation amount – a meeting could be set up with Pratt to see how much he needs for his budget.

Eric Shangraw of GFL Environmental Inc. addressed the council inquiring whether the city would be accepting bids when its current garbage contract with G&O Disposal runs out in 2023.

“We know G&O does a great job and is run by a hometown guy,” Shangraw said. “It’s purely financial from a taxpayer’s stand of view.”

Shangraw, a spokesperson for GFL, said the company would be “competitive” with the current rate of $16.96 per household being charged for garbage service.

He said the Toronto-based GFL purchased Peoria Disposal Company from the Coulter family last fall and currently has 70 municipal contracts across Illinois.

Mayor JD Hulslander and Alderman Nathan Brunnelson agreed that the city was planning to take bids for garbage service before the current contract with G&O runs out. No further action was taken.

Treasurer Bonnie Beal reported that with 58 percent of the fiscal year completed, “everybody is doing good” in terms of spending at or below their budgets. As an example, she mentioned that the Street Department had expended 57.5 percent of its budget so far, even with the unexpected purchase of a new street sweeper.

Hulslander noted that he is hoping some streets money can be rolled over to next year for an additional oil and chip project.

In other action, the council:
• Gave its OK to go ahead with the Strawberry Festival and Fall Festival this year. Road closings will be approved at a later date.
• Approved various changes to Standard Operating Procedure Manual #49, which deals with sick and personal time for employees.
• Heard that a new police department vehicle should be in Elmwood and ready for use in the near future.